US9727007B2 - Rotary device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents
Rotary device and image forming apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US9727007B2 US9727007B2 US15/082,310 US201615082310A US9727007B2 US 9727007 B2 US9727007 B2 US 9727007B2 US 201615082310 A US201615082310 A US 201615082310A US 9727007 B2 US9727007 B2 US 9727007B2
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- plate
- rotary shaft
- consumable item
- rotary
- image forming
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/14—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for transferring a pattern to a second base
- G03G15/16—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for transferring a pattern to a second base of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern, e.g. magnetic transfer
- G03G15/1605—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for transferring a pattern to a second base of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern, e.g. magnetic transfer using at least one intermediate support
- G03G15/1615—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for transferring a pattern to a second base of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern, e.g. magnetic transfer using at least one intermediate support relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
- F16F15/00—Suppression of vibrations in systems; Means or arrangements for avoiding or reducing out-of-balance forces, e.g. due to motion
- F16F15/30—Flywheels
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
- G03G21/1642—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements for connecting the different parts of the apparatus
- G03G21/1647—Mechanical connection means
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
- G03G21/18—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements using a processing cartridge, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit
- G03G21/1839—Means for handling the process cartridge in the apparatus body
- G03G21/1842—Means for handling the process cartridge in the apparatus body for guiding and mounting the process cartridge, positioning, alignment, locks
- G03G21/185—Means for handling the process cartridge in the apparatus body for guiding and mounting the process cartridge, positioning, alignment, locks the process cartridge being mounted parallel to the axis of the photosensitive member
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G2221/00—Processes not provided for by group G03G2215/00, e.g. cleaning or residual charge elimination
- G03G2221/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements and complete machine concepts
- G03G2221/1651—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements and complete machine concepts for connecting the different parts
- G03G2221/1654—Locks and means for positioning or alignment
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a rotary device and an image forming apparatus.
- a rotary device including a rotary shaft, a rotary body that is supported by the rotary shaft, and rotates about the rotary shaft, and at least one plate-like member having a central point that serves as a center of rotation when the plate-like member rotates, the plate-like member having an outer peripheral portion, the plate-like member including at least one cutout formed by cutting out the outer peripheral portion of the plate-like member at positions that are symmetric with respect to a straight line passing through the central point, the plate-like member being secured to the rotary shaft to rotate together with the rotary body as the rotary shaft rotates.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the general configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a transfer device of an image forming apparatus
- FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an end portion of a driven roller to which a flywheel is attached;
- FIG. 3B is a front view of a flywheel
- FIG. 4A is a front view illustrating overlapping of a photoconductor unit and a flywheel
- FIG. 4B is a front view illustrating insertion and removal of a photoconductor unit
- FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view of a positioning jig for a flywheel.
- FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of a positioning jig for a flywheel.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the general configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment.
- the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming unit 10 , a paper feed device 20 attached to one end of the image forming unit 10 , a sheet discharge unit 30 disposed at the other end of the image forming unit 10 to discharge a sheet that has been printed, an operational information unit 40 , and an image processing unit 50 that generates image information from print information transmitted from a host apparatus.
- the image forming unit 10 includes a system controller 11 (not illustrated), exposure devices 12 , photoconductor units 13 , developing devices 14 , a transfer device 15 , sheet transport devices 16 a , 16 b , and 16 c , a fixing device 17 , and a driver 18 (not illustrated).
- the image forming unit 10 receives image information from the image processing unit 50 , and based on the image information, the image forming unit 10 forms a toner image on a sheet P of paper fed from the paper feed device 20 .
- the paper feed device 20 supplies a sheet to the image forming unit 10 . That is, the paper feed device 20 includes multiple paper loading units to receive sheets P that differ in type (for example, material, thickness, paper size, and paper grain). The paper feed device 20 supplies a sheet P sent out from one of the multiple paper loading units to the image forming unit 10 .
- type for example, material, thickness, paper size, and paper grain.
- the sheet discharge unit 30 discharges a sheet P on which an image has been formed in the image forming unit 10 .
- the sheet discharge unit 30 includes a discharged-sheet receiving unit to receive a discharged sheet P on which an image has been formed.
- the sheet discharge unit 30 may have the function of performing post-processing such as cutting or stapling on a bundle of sheets output from the image forming unit 10 .
- the operational information unit 40 is used to make various settings, input instructions, and display information. That is, the operational information unit 40 corresponds to a so-called user interface. Specifically, the operational information unit 40 is made up of a combination of a liquid crystal display panel, various operating buttons, a touch panel, and other components.
- the photoconductor units 13 which are an example of a process unit, are disposed in parallel below the corresponding exposure devices 12 .
- Each of the photoconductor units 13 includes a photoconductor drum 131 , which is an image carrier that is rotationally driven.
- a charger 132 , the exposure device 12 , the developing device 14 , a first transfer roller 152 , and a cleaning blade 134 are disposed in the direction of rotation of the photoconductor drum 131 .
- the developing device 14 has a developing housing 141 in which a developer is received.
- a developing roller 142 which is opposed to the photoconductor drum 131 , is disposed inside the developing housing 141 .
- a layer regulating member (not illustrated) that regulates the layer thickness of developer is disposed in close proximity to the developing roller 142 .
- Each of the developing devices 14 is of substantially the same configuration except for the developer received in the corresponding developing housing 141 .
- Each of the developing devices 14 forms a toner image of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), or black (K).
- the photoconductor drum 131 rotates, its surface is charged by the charger 132 , and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 131 by latent image-forming light emitted from the exposure device 12 .
- the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor drum 131 is developed as a toner image by the developing roller 142 .
- the transfer device 15 includes an intermediate transfer belt 151 , the first transfer roller 152 , and a second transfer belt 153 .
- the intermediate transfer belt 151 is an endless member to which toner images of various colors formed on the photoconductor drums 131 of the photoconductor units 13 are transferred in a superimposed manner.
- the first transfer roller 152 sequentially transfers the toner images of various colors formed in the photoconductor units 13 to the intermediate transfer belt 151 (first transfer).
- the second transfer belt 153 transfers toner images of various colors transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 151 in a superimposed manner, to a sheet that is a recording medium at once (second transfer).
- the second transfer belt 153 is stretched under tension between a second transfer roller 154 and a stripping roller 155 .
- the second transfer belt 153 is sandwiched between a backup roller 165 disposed on the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 151 , and the second transfer roller 154 , forming a second transfer part (TR).
- Toner images of various colors formed on the photoconductor drums 131 of the photoconductor units 13 are sequentially electrostatically transferred (first transfer) onto the intermediate transfer belt 151 by the first transfer roller 152 that is being applied with a predetermined transfer voltage from a power supply device (not illustrated) controlled by the system controller 11 .
- This first transfer forms superimposed toner images with various colors of toner superimposed on each other.
- the intermediate transfer belt 151 As the intermediate transfer belt 151 circulates, the superimposed toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 151 are transported to the second transfer part TR where the second transfer belt 153 is disposed. Once the superimposed toner images are transported to the second transfer part TR, a sheet P is supplied to the second transfer part TR from the paper feed device 20 in synchronism with this timing. Then, a predetermined transfer voltage is applied to the backup roller 165 , which is opposed to the second transfer roller 154 with the second transfer belt 153 therebetween, from the power supply device or other devices controlled by the system controller 11 . This causes the superimposed toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 151 to be transferred to the sheet P at once.
- Residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor drum 131 is removed by the cleaning blade 134 , and collected in a waste-toner receiving unit (not illustrated).
- the surface of the photoconductor drum 131 is charged by the charger 132 again.
- the fixing device 17 includes a fixing belt 17 a in an endless form that rotates in one direction, and a pressure roller 17 b that contacts the peripheral surface of the fixing belt 17 a and rotates in one direction.
- the press contact region between the fixing belt 17 a and the pressure roller 17 b forms a nip part (fixing region).
- the sheet P is transported to the fixing device 17 via the sheet transport device 16 a .
- the toner image has not been fixed onto the sheet P yet.
- the toner image is then fixed onto the sheet P transported to the fixing device 17 with pressure and heat applied by the pair of the fixing belt 17 a and the pressure roller 17 b.
- the sheet P with the fixed toner image is fed to the sheet discharge unit 30 via the sheet transport device 16 b.
- the sheet transport device 16 c When an image is to be formed on both sides of the sheet P, the front and back sides of the sheet P are reversed by the sheet transport device 16 c , and then the sheet P is fed to the second transfer part TR of the image forming unit 10 again. Then, after a toner image is transferred and the transferred image is fixed onto the sheet P, the sheet P is fed to the sheet discharge unit 30 .
- the sheet P fed to the sheet discharge unit 30 undergoes post-processing such as cutting or stapling as required, before being discharged to the discharged-sheet receiving unit.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the transfer device 15 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an end portion of a driven roller 162 to which a flywheel 100 is attached.
- FIG. 3B is a front view of the flywheel 100 .
- FIG. 4A is a front view illustrating overlapping of the photoconductor unit 13 and the flywheel 100 .
- FIG. 4B is a front view illustrating insertion and removal of the photoconductor unit 13 .
- FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate a positioning jig for the flywheel 100 .
- the transfer device 15 includes the intermediate transfer belt 151 , the first transfer roller 152 , and the second transfer belt 153 .
- the intermediate transfer belt 151 has a driving roller 161 , the driven roller 162 , a tension roller 163 , a support roller 164 , the backup roller 165 , and a cleaning backup roller 166 .
- the driving roller 161 drives the intermediate transfer belt 151 so that the intermediate transfer belt 151 circulates.
- the driven roller 162 supports the intermediate transfer belt 151 that extends substantially linearly in the direction of arrangement of the photoconductor drums 131 .
- the tension roller 163 applies a predetermined tension to the intermediate transfer belt 151 , and prevents meandering of the intermediate transfer belt 151 .
- the support roller 164 which is disposed upstream of the second transfer part TR, supports the intermediate transfer belt 151 .
- the backup roller 165 is disposed in the second transfer part TR.
- the cleaning backup roller 166 is disposed in a cleaning part that scrapes off residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 151 .
- the driven roller 162 has a rotary shaft 162 a , the flywheel 100 , and a securing member 110 .
- the rotary shaft 162 a is disposed at the center of rotation of a driven roller body 162 A, which is an example of a rotary body.
- the flywheel 100 which is an example of a plate-like member, is disposed at one end of the rotary shaft 162 a coaxially with the rotary shaft 162 a .
- the securing member 110 secures the flywheel 100 to the rotary shaft 162 a.
- the flywheel 100 is, for example, a cylindrical body made up of a stack of disc members 101 made of iron or stainless steel (SUS).
- the flywheel 100 which is disposed around the rotary shaft 162 a , is secured to the rotary shaft 162 a .
- the tension on the intermediate transfer belt 151 is subject to variations due to the impact caused when, for example, heavy paper, which is to be nipped in the second transfer part TR, enters the second transfer part TR. Such variations in tension are typically reduced by providing sufficient friction between the driven roller 162 and the inner surface of the intermediate transfer belt 151 .
- the driven roller 162 desirably has a small roller diameter and a large rotational inertia. Accordingly, the diameter of the driven roller 162 used is made as small as possible, and the flywheel 100 that gives sufficient moment of inertia is attached to an end portion of the driven roller 162 , thus absorbing variations in tension.
- the flywheel 100 increases the moment of inertia with respect to the rotary shaft 162 a to reduce variations in the rotational speed (irregularity of rotation) of the driven roller 162 .
- the flywheel 100 has cutouts 102 formed by cutting out the outer peripheral portion of the flywheel 100 at positions that are symmetric with respect to a straight line L passing through a central point 100 a as illustrated in FIG. 3B .
- the cutouts 102 are located within such an area that when the photoconductor unit 13 , which is an example of a consumable item inserted into or removed from the body of the image forming apparatus 1 , is inserted or removed in a direction (Y-direction) crossing (perpendicular to) the direction in which the intermediate transfer belt 151 circulates with the flywheel 100 secured to one end of the rotary shaft 162 a of the driven roller 162 , a part of the photoconductor unit 13 does not come into unwanted contact with the flywheel 100 along the path of its movement.
- the photoconductor unit 13 in this case corresponds to the photoconductor unit 13 (K) for black (K) located closest to the driven roller 162 .
- the photoconductor unit 13 (K) is inserted or removed as illustrated in FIG. 4B . That is, with the the intermediate transfer belt 151 moved downward away from the photoconductor unit 13 (K) (see arrow R 1 in FIG. 4B ), the flywheel 100 is rotated until one of the cutouts 102 is at a position that coincides with the path of insertion or removal of the photoconductor unit 13 (K) (see arrow R 2 in FIG. 4B ), and an area of the photoconductor unit 13 (K) that comes into unwanted contact with the flywheel 100 is passed through the cutout 102 , thus allowing insertion or removal of the photoconductor unit 13 (K).
- the cutouts 102 are located at two positions that are symmetric with respect to the straight line L passing through the central point 100 a , the eccentricity of the weight of the flywheel 100 is distributed in space without becoming concentrated in any one area, allowing the inertial force acting during rotation to be evenly distributed.
- disc members 101 having the cutouts 102 at positions that are symmetric with respect to the straight line L passing through the central point 100 a are all formed in the same dimensions and shape by stamping, for example, and then the disc members 101 are stacked together. In that state, the disc members 101 are secured to each other by means of, for example, welding, adhesion with an adhesive, or caulking. Thus, the disc members 101 are formed as an integral component.
- a positioning jig illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B is used to perform positioning.
- the disc member 101 has a through-hole Ja with the same diameter as the outside diameter (a diameter 2R) of the disc member 101 .
- the inner wall of the through-hole Ja regulates the position of the outer peripheral edges (outer radial portion) of the disc member 101 having an arcuate shape.
- a rectangular block body Jb is moved to a position that coincides with the cutouts 102 , and secured in place such as by being held against an inner wall 102 a of the cutouts 102 (as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5A ), thus allowing accurate positioning of the cutouts 102 of the disc members 101 .
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Electrophotography Configuration And Component (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (4)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2015-217297 | 2015-11-05 | ||
JP2015217297A JP2017090558A (en) | 2015-11-05 | 2015-11-05 | Rotation device and image formation device |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20170131661A1 US20170131661A1 (en) | 2017-05-11 |
US9727007B2 true US9727007B2 (en) | 2017-08-08 |
Family
ID=58663298
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/082,310 Active US9727007B2 (en) | 2015-11-05 | 2016-03-28 | Rotary device and image forming apparatus |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US9727007B2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2017090558A (en) |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4244240A (en) * | 1976-12-17 | 1981-01-13 | The Johns Hopkins University | Elastic internal flywheel gimbal |
JPH10319786A (en) | 1997-05-21 | 1998-12-04 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Image forming device |
JPH11119593A (en) | 1997-10-16 | 1999-04-30 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Image forming device |
US6456807B1 (en) * | 1999-06-03 | 2002-09-24 | Konica Corporation | Rotation stabilizing device |
US8290403B2 (en) * | 2008-05-19 | 2012-10-16 | Kyocera Mita Corporation | Rotary driving device and image forming apparatus |
US20120308267A1 (en) * | 2011-06-01 | 2012-12-06 | Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. | Damper device and image forming apparatus |
-
2015
- 2015-11-05 JP JP2015217297A patent/JP2017090558A/en active Pending
-
2016
- 2016-03-28 US US15/082,310 patent/US9727007B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4244240A (en) * | 1976-12-17 | 1981-01-13 | The Johns Hopkins University | Elastic internal flywheel gimbal |
JPH10319786A (en) | 1997-05-21 | 1998-12-04 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Image forming device |
JPH11119593A (en) | 1997-10-16 | 1999-04-30 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Image forming device |
US6456807B1 (en) * | 1999-06-03 | 2002-09-24 | Konica Corporation | Rotation stabilizing device |
US8290403B2 (en) * | 2008-05-19 | 2012-10-16 | Kyocera Mita Corporation | Rotary driving device and image forming apparatus |
US20120308267A1 (en) * | 2011-06-01 | 2012-12-06 | Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. | Damper device and image forming apparatus |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2017090558A (en) | 2017-05-25 |
US20170131661A1 (en) | 2017-05-11 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
JP5935699B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
JP2010231008A (en) | Fixing device and image forming apparatus | |
US20150261154A1 (en) | Fixing device and image forming apparatus | |
US11262674B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
JP2014170023A (en) | Transfer device and image forming apparatus | |
JP5900357B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
JP4947020B2 (en) | Fixing device and image forming apparatus using the same | |
JP2014134719A (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
US20180290848A1 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
JP2018159809A (en) | Fixing device and image forming apparatus | |
JP5007608B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
US9727007B2 (en) | Rotary device and image forming apparatus | |
JP5165077B2 (en) | Displacement mechanism of secondary transfer unit and image forming apparatus | |
US10802424B2 (en) | Fixing device and image forming apparatus | |
JP2014191031A (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
US10747153B2 (en) | Belt-type transport device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus | |
US10308465B2 (en) | Sheet transport device and image forming apparatus | |
JP5443460B2 (en) | Process cartridge and image forming apparatus | |
JP2007309954A (en) | Rotary cam mechanism and image forming apparatus provided therewith | |
JP6648410B2 (en) | Transport device and image forming device | |
JP2015031897A (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
JP5990794B2 (en) | Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus | |
JP7326921B2 (en) | image forming device | |
JP2021196512A (en) | Fixing device | |
US10203629B2 (en) | Developing roller support device including a viscoelastic body for regulating a distance between image carrier and developing roller |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:TANAKA, MIHOKO;HAGIWARA, KAZUYOSHI;SAKAI, YUSUKE;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:038112/0443 Effective date: 20160225 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
MAFP | Maintenance fee payment |
Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 4TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1551); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP., JAPAN Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:058287/0056 Effective date: 20210401 |